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Thera 6.8: Jenta,Priest's Son
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(218):Jenta The Priest's Son Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter VI. Six Verses =218. Jenta The Priest's Son1= Reborn in this Buddha-age at Sāvatthī as the son of the King of Kosala's priest, he was named Jenta. When grown up he became intoxicated with his advantages of birth, wealth, and position, despising where he should have honoured, and stiff with pride. One day he approached the Lord(Buddha), who was teaching in the midst of a great company, and be thought: 'If the Samana Gotama(Buddha) will first address me, I will also speak; I will not voluntarily address him.' Thus the Exalted One(Buddha) not addressing him, and he through pride not speaking either, he showed the motive for his coming as he stood there. Him the Exalted One(Buddha) then addressed in a verse: ---- To live on proud, vain fancies is not well. Cultivate, brahmin(priest), that which profits. The good which you do seek in coming here - That, and that only should you live upon. ---- Jenta thinking, 'He knows my thoughts!' was greatly drawn to him, and fell at his feet, paying the highest degree of homage. And he asked the Lord(Buddha), saying: ---- For whom is one to cultivate no pride? Whom should one honour? Whom should one revere? To whom if one show reverence is it well? ---- To him the Exalted One(Buddha) said: ---- For mother and for father too, likewise For eldest brother, for the teacher, for The brahmin(priest) and for them of yellow robe: For these is one to cultivate no pride, These should one honour, these should one revere, To these if one show reverence it is well. The arahants(enlightened ones) peaceful, adept, sane, immune, For whom pride perished as they crossed the goal,2 To them beyond all others homage pay. ---- Jenta by that teaching became a Stream-winner(Sotapana/first samadhi of Nirvana)'' , entered the Monk’s order, and in due course won arahantship(enlightenment). Upon that in celebrating his achievement he thus declared ''aññā(supreme attainment): ---- 423 Jātimadena mattohaɱ bhogaissariyena ca,|| Saṇaṭhānavaṇṇarūpena madamatto acārihaɱ.|| || 424 Nāttano samakaɱ kañci atirekaɱ ca maññisaɱ,|| Atimānahato bālo patthaddho ussitaddhajo.|| || 425 Mātaraɱ pitarañcāpi aññepi garusammate,|| Na kañci abhivādesiɱ mānatthaddho anādaro.|| || 426 Disvā vināyakaɱ aggaɱ sārathīnaɱ varuttamaɱ,|| Tapantam iva ādiccaɱ bhikkhusaŋghapurakkhataɱ.|| || 427 Mānaɱ madaɱ ca chaḍḍetvā vippasannena cetasā,|| Siranā abhivādesiɱ sabbasattānamuttamaɱ.|| || 428 Atimāno 46 ca omāno pahīnā susamūhatā,|| Asumimāno samucchinno sabbe mānavidhā hatā' ti.|| || ' ' ---- 423 Infatuated with my birth, my wealth And influence, with the beauty of my form Intoxicated, thus I led my life. 424 Over much I fancied none was like to me. A poor young fool proud & spoilt, Stubborn with pride, posing and impolite. 425 Mother and father, and others too Claiming respect and honour, never one Did I salute, discourteous, stiff with pride. 220 426 Then saw I Him the Guide, Leader Supreme, The unmatched Chief among drivers of mankind, In glory shining like the sun, with all The company of monks in following. 427 Throwing away conceit and wanton pride, A pious gladness filling all my heart, Lowly I rendered homage with the head To Him among all creatures Best and Chief. 428 Well eradicated now and put away Is both false pride and hypocrisy; The what and that 'I am' is broken in two, Yes, every form of self-conceit is killed.3 ---- 1 To distinguish him from the Jenta of CXI. 2 Māna is one of the last 'fetters' to be broken in the fourth or highest path leading to arahantship(enlightenment). As Stream-winner(Sotapana) he enters the first path(of nirvanic trance). Cf. also Bud. PṆy., p. 298, n. 3. 3 Nine forma, says the Commentary. These are enumerated in the Vibhanga, p. 389 f. In Buddhism māna comprises all intrusions of the ego. This as entity was a myth, and was not to be set in rivalry over against the myth in one's neighbour. ---- =6.9 218 Commentary on the stanza of Purohitaputtajentatthera= The stanza starting with jātimadena matto’haṃ constitutes that of the venerable thera Jenta. What is the origin? This one also having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, accumulating acts of merit in this and that existence, was reborn as the son of the private chaplain (puchita) of king Kosala, when this Buddha arose; his name was Jenta. On having come of age, he, having become intoxicated (matto) with the conceit (mada) over his wealth, authority (issariya) and handsomness (rūpa), wandered about (vicarati), disdaining (hilento) other people, making no reverence (apaciti) to those who took the place of teachers (guruṭṭhāniya) and puffed up with pride (mānathaddho). One day he happened to have seen the Master teaching the truth to a large audience around Him, and in approaching, he did so, arousing in his mind this idea; “If the monk Gotama addressed me first I shall comply accordingly; if not, I shall not address Him;” he stood (in that attitude) and when the Blessed One did not address him first, he himself, due to his pride, did not make any address and showed his sign of going (away), the Blessed One addressed him by means of a stanza. “O brahmin! Pride is not good for one who is in need, O brahmin! You should say according to that desire (attha) for which you had come. He, saying to himself; “Monk Gotama knew my mind,” became particularly pious, fell down on his head at the feet of the Blessed One and asked after having made (his) absolute (parama) humbleness (nipaccākāra), thus:– “Among whom should no pride be made? Toward whom should there be with respect? To whom should there be reverence? To whom is it that the reberential offering (pujitā) well made is good?” The Blessed One, answering his question, taught him the truth thus: “In the mother and the father also, moreover in the oldest brother; fourthly in the teacher as well as in monks and leaders of noble life (brāhmaṇa); amongst them pride should not be shown (mānaṃ kayirātha); one should be with respect toward them. Let there be reverence to them; reverential offering well done (supūjita) to them, let there be good (sādhu), Putting down (nihassa) pride and unconceited (atthaddho) one should pay homage (namasse) to the unsurpassed (anuttara) Arahants, who had become cool (sītibhūta), who had done what they should do and who had been free from cankers. By means of that teaching he became a Stream-winner (sotāpanna), became a monk, did the deed of developing spiritual insight, attained Arahantship and spoke these stanzas revealing his Arahantship (aññā) in the face of (mukhena) making the announcement (kittana) of his proper performance (paṭipatti):– 423. “Having become mad with the madness of birth, with wealth and authority as well, with handsome (rūpa) physical form (saṇṭhāna) and complexion (vaṇṇa), I wandered about intoxicated with madness. 424. “I thought that there was no one equal to myself but that I was beyond everyone (atireka); I bore my excessive pride and I was foolish, quite stiff (patthaddho) and with (my) flag (dhaja) erected high (ussita). 425. I did not pay my homage (abhivādesiṃ) to my mother and father also and others as well, recognised (sammata) as teachers; puffed up by pride I had no sense of respect. 426. On having seen the foremost clear leader (vināyaka), the most excellent among charioteers, shining similar to the sun, at the head of the retinue of monks, 427. I cast off my pride as well as intoxication and paid my homage with my head, to the most excellent of all living- beings with my mind piously pleased (vippasannena cetasā). 428. My pride, superior and inferior had been forsaken and well removed; egoistic (sami) pride had been well cut off; all kings of pride had been killed.” 429. My pride, superior and inferior had been forsaken and well removed; egoistic (sami) pride had been well cut off; all kinds of pride had been killed.” There, jātimadena matto’haṃ means: I was born in a high class (udicca) brahmin family; I conducted myself (acariṃ) puffed up (thaddho) with pride, intoxicated with family pride thus: “There does not exist any other person who was well born on both parent’s side like me;” thus, is the interpretation. Bhogaissariyena ca means dependent (paṭicca) on good fortune (sampadam) in wealth and blessing (sampadam) in authority (issariya) with wealth and lordship (ādhipacca) which had become the cause (hetu), I conducted myself (acāriṃ) intoxicated with arisen madness; thus, is the interpretation. Saṇṭhāna vaṇṇarūpena means: the form (saṇṭhāna) is prosperity in height (ārohasampatti) and girth (pariṇāha); complexion (vaṇṇa) is prosperity of skin (chavisampatti) in the condition of clear golden colour and so on; beauty (rūpaṃ) gracefulness (sobhā) of major and minor members (of the physical body). Here also, the interpretation should be understood in the said manner. Madamatto means: intoxicated with other manners of madness other than the manner that has been said. Nāttano samakaṃ kañci’ atirekaṃ ca maññissaṃ means: I do not think any one similar and equal to me with regard birth and so on; I do not consider any one to be either similar or superior (atireka) to myself; I do not think anyone similar to me; where can there be my superior (adhikaṃ); thus, is the significance. Atimānahato bālo means: I am foolish; over and above that (tato) of being foolish I cleverly conducted (kusalācāro) myself continuing to lead a life of false ideas (khatūpahata). Patthaddho ussitaddhajo means: but beyond that, I had become abundantly (bhusaṃ) quite stiff (thaddho), unbendingly stubborn (anonamanathaddha) with my flag (dhaja) of pride hoisted (ussita), owing to not making the manner of obedience (nipacca) to teachers even. The stanza starting with “Mātaraṃ (mother)” has been said in order to make the meaning of what has been said clearer. There aññā(attainment) means: to eldest brothers and so on as well as monks and leaders of noble life (brāhmaṇa). Garusammate means: recognised as teachers and those who take the place of a teacher. Anādaro means: devoid of respect. Disvā vināyakaṃ aggaṃ means: having become puffed up with pride (mānathaddho) in this manner, and wandering about, (I saw) the disciplinarian leader because of His being the leader owing to His being self-dependent, because of His disciplining those who are amenable to discipline (veneyyānaṃ) by means of absolute (parama) advantages (attha) pertaining to the present (diṭṭhadhammika) and the future (saṃparāyika); the foremost (aggaṃ) in the world including the divine world, because of being the best (seṭṭha) on account of such qualities (guṇa) in the world including the divine world, because of being the best (seṭṭha) on account of such qualities (guṇa) as moral precepts (sīla) and so on; sārathīnaṃ varuttamaṃ means: the most excellent charioteer because of (His) taming definitely (accantatā) of men who should be subdued; varuttamaṃ means: excessively most excellent; tapantaṃ varuttamaṃ means: shining similar to the sun with such rays of light as fathom-length rays and so on; after having seen the Master, the most excellent of all living beings, at the head of His surrounding retunue of monks, teaching the truth (dhamma); chaḍḍetvā means; after having forsaken such madness over intoxication of wealth and so on as were (then) occurring (pavattamānaṃ) thus: “None but I am the best; others are inferior (hīnā),” being thoroughly threatened (santajjito) by the power of Buddha, I paid my homage (abhivādesiṃ) by means of my head with my piously pleased mind; thus, is the interpretation. How, however, did this one forsake his pride just by the sight of the Master, puffed up with pride (mānathaddho) though ******. Indeed, however, this should not be seen in this manner. He did not forsake his pride the very moment as and when he sighted the Master; he gave up his pride, whoever, owing to such teaching as begun with: “O brahmin! Pride is not good” and so on. It has been said in that connection (sandhāya) thus: “Mānaṃ madañ ca chaṭṭetvā, vippasannena cetasa sirasā abhivādesim, after having castaway pride and madness, (I), with my mind piously pleased, worshipped with my hand.” Vippasannena cetasā means: the instrumentive statement is to be seen in the marking (lakkhaṇe) of ablative case (itthambhūta). Atimāno means: the pride that occurs as “Ahameva seṭṭho (none but I am the best).” Omāno means: they say: is the of the burning (dahantassa) owing to inferiority to others saying “These, however, are degraded (nihīnā).” Atimāno means: superior pride (seyyamāna) that has occurred (pavatto) of the burning (dahanta) owing to himself being superior after having gone beyond other people, however, thus: “Seyyo’hamasmi (I am better).” Omāno means: inferior pride (hīnamāna) that has occurred thus: “Himo’hamasmi (I am inferior):” pāhīnā susamuhatā means: after having become forsaken by means of lower (heṭṭhima) paths (magga), and reported (samugghāṭitā) excellently (suṭṭhu) by the foremost (agga) path (magga). Asmimāno conotes: the pride that has occurred by way of grasping (gahaṇa) as “Eso’hamasmi (this is I (or) I am this)” and as “Ahṃ (I)” in the aggregates (khandha). Sabbe means: not only wholly of the superior pride, inferior pride, egoistic pride (asmimāna) but also (atha) indeed, any and every (sabbe) variety of pride (mānavidha) and pertions (koṭṭhāsa) of pride which are such nine kinds of pride as superior pride (Seyyamāna) of the superior (seyya) etc. and which are of many a variety by internal (antara) classification (bheda): hatā means have been abolished by the tipmost (agga) path (magga). The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Jenta is complete. ----